CCD Priceless Treasures
by Apus000
Summary: The further adventures of the Clamp Campus Detectives in high school. A female character the writer herself created featured. Please read! Hope you'll enjoy!
1. Default Chapter

**(Standard disclaimer applies.)** This fanfic is written purely for entertainment purposes only. No disrespect, etc. is intended, and no profit had been/ is being/ will ever be made. Don't hunt me, don't sue me, and don't hurt me in anyway And please kindly acknowledge that the girl' featured in this story is _my_ character, so don't use her without asking for my permission first! 

Author's memo: The Clamp Campus Detectives are in the middle school division (and Utako and Nagisa are in the elementary division) when the events in this story happened.

**Priceless Treasures**

A Clamp Campus Detectives Fanfic

By Apus

**_Prologue_**

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"With thunder, with thunder, you'll come, 

Undreamed of battles to be won!

He'll know at once your spirit strong,

Discover, sing, the earth's wild song;

And when you've taught him all you know,

With thunder, with thunder, with thunder,

You'll go"

- adapted from _Thunderwith_, by Libby Hathorn

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"Ugh! I hate getting wet!"

"May I remind you, kaichou, that WE would not be getting wet at all if you had not sneaked away from work in the first place!" In the distance, there was a crack of lightening, accompanied by a roar of thunder. The rain began to thicken.

"It was still sunny when I was going for a walk!" Evidently, the speaker was still trying to deny that he was guilty.

" Going for a walk' when you have not yet finished your work is, in my opinion, EXACTLY the same as sneaking away from work." Takamura Suoh retorted sternly. His opponent was about to argue back, but the blue-haired 14-year-old won't hear of it. "Do me a favour, kaichou, and save your breath for running."

The kaichou did as he was told for a moment then started to open his mouth – 

"And don't complain about getting wet anymore." Suoh cut in. "Be thankful that Ijyuin had the kindness to bring your umbrella for you." Speaking of whom The young ninja glanced at the dark-haired 13-year-old running on the other side of his kaichou. "Doing well there, Ijyuin?"

Ijyuin Akira looked up at his sempai with a forced smile, and said, "Hai, Takamura-sempai! Although I'm a bit worried about the cake" Saying so, the infamous cook shifted his grip on the cake box, hugging it closer to himself. Suoh sweatdropped. Next to him, the kaichou just gave a faint smile. Poor Akira was in a very sorry state, as the wind had turned his umbrella inside out, and the rain had soaked him from head to toe – not that he seemed to notice. Miraculously, the cake box under his white school-coat was still dry.

Another crash of thunder. Their kaichou suddenly stopped in his tracks, his smile instantly replaced by a slight frown. Without any warning, he tore down the path they were presently on, leaving his companions behind.

Wh-what is it kaichou?!' Suoh and Akira shouted in surprise as their normally unathletic kaichou flew past them at an immortal speed. For a while, they stared at the figure that is quickly disappearing in the dust. 

That kind of sudden athleticism It can only mean

Suoh groaned, and put one hand on his forehead. Akira, on the other hand, was sobbing over the cake which had been knocked over by the kaichou's unexpected flight.

~~~~~

"Lady, may I be of any service to you?" an elegant voice asked gently.

The lady in question turned around. She was about half a head taller than the speaker, and seemed to be only around 15 years of age. The formal business black suit she was wearing gave her a very mature demeanor. Her long flow of golden hair was tied back in a low braid. A pair of lustrous, yet unwavering emerald eyes decorated her fairy face, accentuating her special aura. However, her grace was a little dampened by her soaked form.

The speaker spoke again, "I cannot possibly leave a lady out in the rain without any protection." His elfin face was made handsome by his intelligent sapphire eyes, complete with a beautiful wave of blond hair. Like a gentleman, he took off his white overcoat, offering the warm garment and his umbrella to the girl. "It is dangerous to take shelter under a tree during a storm," he continued, "Please, take these and return home quickly"

Meanwhile, Suoh and Akira had finally managed to track down their kaichou. They found him proffering his coat and umbrella to a girl who seemed to be taking shelter under a giant oak tree. 

Yes, it was the damsel-in-distress' mode.

Akira's eyes were simply sparkling at his kaichou's nobility, but Suoh could only accept defeat and muttered about the delayed paperwork. The two moved to hide themselves behind some of the big trees that are near the oak, hoping to catch some of the conversation that was taking place. 

"Thank you very much for your kindness," they heard the girl say, and saw her accepting the coat and umbrella graciously. "May I have the pleasure of learning my nobleman's name?" 

Their kaichou reached for the girl's right hand and bowed his head over it. Then he looked up, a certain pride glistening in his eyes, before replying with a charming smile:

"Imonoyama Nokoru."

There was a brief moment of surprise on the girl's face, but it quickly resolved into a knowing smile. "Thank you very much, Imonoyama-sama," she responded with a deep bow, "These items will be returned to you in the Student Council room by tomorrow morning." With that, she put on the kaichou's coat, opened the umbrella, and sprinted through the rain.

Seeing that the girl had gone, Suoh and Akira emerged from their hiding place. They walked towards their kaichou, who was watching the retreating girl with a gentle smile. When she had disappeared, they walked back to the Middle School Division Student Council room in a companionable silence. The rain had died down, now only a pitter-patter against their umbrellas. (Nokoru had to share with Suoh, since he had given away his own ^^;)

Suddenly, Akira asked, "Do you know that girl, kaichou?"

The Imonoyama frowned a little as he searched through the database inside his head. Gradually, his face grew rather distraught. "No" he mused, "As a matter of fact, I don't think I have seen her before otherwise I would have at least remembered her face."

"That's curious," Suoh regarded his kaichou. "Provided that there isn't even a trace of her in that mental database of yours, it means that she is not even a student of Clamp Campus. If such is the case, she could not have gotten into the school grounds at all – not with the campus's tight security system." He looked solemnly at Nokoru's worried face.

"But if she is not one of our students, how is she going to return kaichou's stuff back in the Student Council room by tomorrow morning?" Akira wondered innocently, totally oblivious to the two elder boys' concern about their school's security.

A cold wind accompanied Nokoru and Suoh's sweatdrop.

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Free-talk:

So, any ideas as to who the girl is? For those of you who think that the girl had got into Clamp Campus by breaking through the security system, YOU ARE WRONG! I am very interested to see what theories people have – please send them to me! (Hint: Answer can be found in Nokoru's paper mountains ^^;) The answer will be revealed next chapter, so please read on

That's all for now! Did you enjoy the story? C&C are appreciated, so please send them to apus000@yahoo.com.au 

Thanks ^^


	2. Chapter 1 Promises

**(Standard disclaimer applies.)** This fanfic is written purely for entertainment purposes only. No disrespect, etc. is intended, and no profit had been/ is being/ will ever be made. Don't hunt me, don't sue me, and don't hurt me in anyway And please kindly acknowledge that the girl' featured in this story is _my_ character, so don't use her without asking for my permission first!

Author's memo: The Clamp Campus Detectives are in the Middle School division (and Utako and Nagisa are in the elementary division) when the events in this story happened. 

**Priceless Treasures**

A Clamp Campus Detective fanfic

By Apus

**_Chapter 1 - Promises_**

The next day was a sunny, yet uneventful morning. The opened windows of the Middle School Division Student Council room brought in dancing sunlight and cool breeze. The delicious scent of Akira's milk tea and chocolate cake wafted the room. This, however, did not cheer up Nokoru, as he sat behind his huge desk, slaving away in the midst of his paper mountains (writing and stamping, stamping and writing ^^;). Suoh, who had managed to imprison the 15-year-old as soon as he got to school, was guarding him, ready to pounce whenever the kaichou stopped working. To add insult to injury, Nokoru had to endure Akira's bubbly laughter. The latter had already finished his work the day before and was having fun with a software that was newly developed by the school. 

Only about a thousandth of the work had been done when Akira and Suoh heard Nokoru humming a rather familiar tune. Curious and suspicious at the same time, Suoh moved nearer to hear what Nokoru was singing.

light the matches' the ninja heard Nokoru mutter. Suoh's calm demeanor slipped a little.

With his usual bubbly face, Akira looked up from his computer and asked Nokoru, "Kaichou, what are you singing?"

Nothing... just beginning to think about Christmas, that's all." (Note: it is still July). As he spoke, Nokoru took out his paper fan to hide a mischievous grin. He saw the other two Council members waiting for him to continue. So, taking a deep breath, he climbed onto the little bit of space available on his desk, and began to sing: 

"Stack the papers in one corner, fa la la la la, la la la la,

Light the matches throw them down, fa la la la la, la la la la

Hope the papers turn to ashes, fa la la, la la la, la la la

Hope Suoh won't lecture me, fa la la la la, la la la la"

(Seriously, the lyrics can be sung to the tune of Deck the Halls'!)

Upon the ending of the song, Akira clapped his hands; Nokoru simply bowed, whilst Suoh twitched his eyebrows together, fighting the urge to strangle the Imonoyama right there and then. Absent-mindedly, the ninja glanced about the council room, and was seized by a sudden fit of panic when he saw the huge columns of paperwork stacked in the two corners at the end of the room. He believed that deep down (like in the centre of the Earth), Nokoru was a fairly responsible person, but Suoh would not put it past the kaichou to REALLY burn down those documents – heaven knows how many tricks Nokoru had tried just to dodge the paperwork! 

Having finished his little stunt, Nokoru jumped down from the table. It was most unfortunate that he swept down the nearest stack of paper along the way. Within seconds, other paper mountains crumbled under the sheer vibration caused by the fallen one. 

At that precise moment a knock was issued from the massive doors of the room. The three had to battle their way out of the sea of paper (Nokoru with help from Suoh and Akira) before the kaichou managed a cheerful come in'.

A girl of about Nokoru's age entered the paper-flooded room. Her green eyes slightly widened at the field of papers in front of her, before resuming a tranquil smile. This time, instead of tying it back in a braid, she let her long hair flow down her back. Her formal black suit was otherwise similar to yesterday's if not for a small gold pin that glistened on the collar of her coat. Held in her delicate hands was a large rectangular box.

She was the girl that Nokoru had helped yesterday.

"I do apologise for the intrusion," she said in a melodious voice, "It appears that I have chosen to come at a rather inconvenient moment. However, since I have promised that Imonoyama-sama's items will be returned by morning, I thought I will stop by before my lessons started." She moved through the paper pile with liquid elegance, and gave the box to Nokoru. "Once again, thank you very much for your kindness." She gave Nokoru another bow.

Before the kaichou could respond, Suoh stepped (or rather, glided) between the girl and Nokoru. The bodyguard stared hard at her face, his body already in a protective combat position.

"Who are you?" Suoh asked threateningly, "You're not a student of Clamp Campus, are you?" The girl blinked twice, then pointed a finger at herself, as though questioning what the bodyguard had meant. Suoh ignored the gesture and continued, "How did you break through the security system?"

Nokoru started to chide Suoh for his impolite manner, but was immediately cut off by his protector's tiger-cold glare. There was a long silence until the girl finally managed to recompose herself and answer Suoh with a question of her own:

"I am the new transfer student. Have you seen my profile and documents yet?"

Transfer student? Profile and documents? Ah, yes, probably buried in the piles of kaichou's unfinished PAPERWORK! A rather chilly wind blew into the room as Suoh turned to aim his glare at the guilty kaichou and Nokoru took a few steps back to fan off the angry glare. Akira could only stand at the sidelines and pray for his sempais – for Nokoru who is sure to get lectured sooner or later, and for Suoh, who is likely to get a sore throat from that lecture. Luckily, the girl gave a chuckle, and the trio's attention was turned back to her.

"It is just as I thought. The esteemed Middle School Division Student Council members, also known as the Clamp Campus Detectives." the girl said with a little laugh. "Ijyuin-san, the treasurer, is forever _kawaii_ and famous for his excellent cooking; Takamura-san, the secretary, is usually serious, calm, well-known for his sporting achievements and fighting abilities; and finally, the kaichou that had been elected for eight consecutive years, Imonoyama-sama, renowned for his brains and being the perfect gentleman." She added, "However, I did not realize that he also maintains the ability to build paper-mountains."

How rare it was to see the three members of the Student Council all blush at once! (How cute ^^) It was a pity that Suoh recovered quickly and demanded to know how she had learnt about them.

The girl gave another chuckle. "Since the three of you are very famous, it was not a hard task at all. Most of the information came from Clamp Campus's extensive information resources: from the computer network to the school magazines – although the most useful information came from your fan clubs," she replied. "As a matter of fact, I had just finished my research on the three of you yesterday afternoon when I got caught in the storm." The school bell rang as she finished speaking. She quickly set down the box on the coffee table and excused herself.

"By the way," the girl added just as she reached the door, "I hope that you find my documents, because I don't like the idea of my personal data floating around the school." And with that, she left for her classes.

~~~~~

"Nijikawa Shizumi; Age 15; Middle School year 3; Birthday 8th of October; Transfer from America; has exceptional acting and computing skills; renowned for her knowledge of and fluency in 14 different languages: Japanese, English, Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), Korean, Thai, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Finnish, Swedish, Latin, and Greek. Left as an orphan at the age of 6 when her parents died in a plane crash; was accepted as a student of Clamp Campus one week ago; currently boarding at Clamp Campus.

"That's all the information from her profile. The rest of the papers are just photocopies of her transfer documents." Suoh finished reading. It had took the members of the Student Council a whole afternoon to re-stack all the papers around Nokoru's desk (Suoh personally made sure that they were NOT in any corners of the room ^^;) and retrieve the transfer student's file. Akira, as usual, was preparing tea and Nokoru sat in one of the sofas, absorbing the information that Suoh had just read out.

"That explains how she got past the security," the kaichou said thoughtfully, "she IS already a student of Clamp Campus when we met her."

"Is she in your class?" Suoh asked.

"No. She is in the class next door to mine." Nokoru answered with certainty.

"I wonder what happened to her after her parents' death" Akira said quietly, pouring the tea.

"We could always go to the supercomputer-lab and do a research' on her." Suoh said sarcastically. Clearly, the young bodyguard was still holding a grudge against Shizumi for checking on them. 

"No," Nokoru said sternly, "That will be disrespecting a lady's privacy and I will not allow it." He took a strong seep from his teacup, oblivious to Akira and Suoh's sweatdrops.

A knock interrupted their tea-break. (mine, there seem to be a lot of knocking today ^^;) Suoh answered it this time, and three ladies came in. At the sight of Nagisa and Utako, Suoh and Akira's face turned a lovely shade of red (the girls probably blushed too, but I'm not sure). Only Nokoru seemed to have noticed Shizumi following behind the two elementary school students.

"Konichiwa! Imonoyama-kaichou," Utako greeted. 

"Konichiwa! Ohkawa-kaichou*," Nokoru returned with a charming smile, and bowed to the three girls. "Is there anything we can help you with?"

(* Note that this year, Utako has been elected the kaichou of the Elementary Division Student Council.)

"Actually, Nagisa-chan and I are just accompanying Shizumi-san."

Nokoru turned his head a little to question Shizumi with those sapphire-orbs. Shizumi's emerald pair smiled in return. "I came to inquire whether or not my transfer folder has been found yet," she said politely.

Nokoru reassured her that the documents have already been found and apologised for the mishandling. He invited the girls to join them for tea, to which the girls happily obliged. The girls sat opposite to the boys. Akira's milk tea and sandwiches, combined with happy chatter, have made tea-break an enjoyable time. In such a friendly atmosphere, all grudges and formalities have been thrown out the window. Shizumi was given the opportunity to introduce herself formally and befriend the boys. Meanwhile, Suoh seemed to have given up all hopes of trying to make Nokoru go back to work (since all his requests have been ignored and he is not about to throw a tantrum).

"May I have the last sandwich?"

"No, Shizumi-san." Utako confirmed.

"You're on a diet, remember?" Nagisa chided playfully.

"Of course. But I am willing to sacrifice my figure for Akira-kun's cooking," came the pixilated reply, the comment making Akira beam with pride. Ignoring Utako and Nagisa's protests, Shizumi took the last sandwich and bit into it.

"You three seem to be such close friends," Suoh noticed, "How did you come to know each other?"

"Shizumi-san was my guide on my American music tour last year." Nagisa explained. "Her school, Clamp Campus's America sister school, had sent her as a representative to take care of me during the tour. Because she was the only Japanese-speaking person in the whole duration of the tour, I grew to depend on her." 

"And thus a sisterly-affection developed between us during those two months." Shizumi concluded, finishing off her sandwich. "After Nagisa returned to Japan, we kept in touch by writing to each other."

"I knew Shizumi-san through Nagisa-chan's letters, but only met her in person last week." Utako added with a big smile. "You can't imagine how ecstatic we were when we knew that she is going to transfer to Clamp Campus!" 

"With Shizumi-san's language talents it would not be hard to apply for Clamp Campus at all." Nokoru said. "But Suoh," he turned to his friend, his voice sugary with mischief, "why won't you there to help Nagisa-san during that music tour? I am sure that Shizumi-san would have been glad of the assistance."

Nagisa blushed, whilst Suoh choked on his tea. "Kaichou!!" Suoh attempted to shout between his coughing, "You knew that I couldn't go because I was on a training trip with hahaue!"

"Ah, yes," Nokoru mused, "I forget so easily. My apologies." He tapped his forehead with his paper fan. Suoh was very tempted to give more impact to the tap by bashing him with Akira's tea tray.

Shizumi had been watching the commotion with a mixture of amusement and confusion. At last, she spoke, "I think I am missing something here. Is there something I should know about Nagisa-chan and Suoh-kun?"

Nokoru gave a musical laugh; "There is something you should know about Akira and Ohkawa-kaichou too, I think." Now Akira and Utako turned crimson as well.

Shizumi leisurely placed a hand under her chin, as though contemplating. She looked at Akira and Suoh. "Gentlemanly, clever, kind, and very caring if not a little TOO protective," she quietly evaluated the two boys, "personalities match their respective partner. Yes these two will protect them at all costs. The pairings are not bad at all; I am impressed However," her eyes grew sharp, and her voice had adopted a murderous tone as she directly addressed Suoh and Akira, "if anything happens to either Nagisa or Utako, I am holding BOTH of you accountable for it."

A deadly silence followed the warning. Each person had stopped what they were doing. The tension was only broken when Nokoru accidentally' spilled his hot tea onto Akira's lap, making the younger boy jump up in fright and everybody (except Suoh) laughed. Luckily, Akira managed to calm down and mend the damage with a handkerchief. 

"I will protect them." Suoh's hard voice broke through the light-heartedness. Everyone else turned to look at him. Shizumi's full attention was once again focused on the younger boy.

"As a Takamura bodyguard, I have chosen kaichou as my One and will protect him with my life." Suoh continued solemnly. "But, as an individual, I swear to protect Nagisa-san with all I possess."

Shizumi stared hard at him. "Upon your honour?" she prompted.

"Upon my honour." the Takamura replied.

Shizumi nodded in acknowledgement. She turned to Akira, "And what about you?"

"I may not be much of a fighter, but I will certainly try my best to protect all of my friends," he answered bravely. "Especially kaichou and Utako-san."

Shizumi eyed them and said seriously, "Promises are one of the few priceless treasures in life, and I value them highly. I shall remember every single one of those words you two have said just then, and hope that you will live up to them." She then broke into a brilliant smile, breaking the uptightness in the room. "Nokoru-san," she said to Nokoru, "you are a very lucky person. To have such loyal friends"

"It is one of the few priceless treasures in life." Nokoru acknowledged with a smile.

--------------------

Free-talk:

Yes, yes, I know this chapter seemed rather pointless; I'm sorry, but I need to create the setting and give the characters a chance to get to know each other! And as for the stupid promises' (as my sister had rudely adopted) that Suoh and Akira has made, I can only guarantee that these promises will be of significance as the story continues, so please read on!

I had intended to use this chapter to convey my idea about promises – this at least, I think I have succeeded in doing. Promises-kept are almost extinct nowadays and I would like to see people treating promises with more respect - don't make a promise unless you are going to keep it!

That's all for now! Did you enjoy the story? C&C are appreciated, so please send them to apus000@yahoo.com.au 

Thanks ^^


	3. Chapter 2 Green with Envy Part A

**(Standard disclaimer applies.)** This fanfic is written purely for entertainment purposes only. No disrespect, etc. is intended, and no profit had been/ is being/ will ever be made. Don't hunt me, don't sue me, and don't hurt me in anyway And please kindly acknowledge that Shizumi is _my_ character, so do not use her without asking for my permission first! XD

This section (Green with Envy) is dedicated to my little sister, and Meryl Lynn Pestano - the first reader who actually sent me a comment on this story ^^ Words could not express how thankful I am for your encouragement and support! *big hug*

Author's memo: The Clamp Campus Detectives are in the Middle School division (and Utako and Nagisa are in the elementary division) when the events in this story happened.

**Priceless Treasures**

A Clamp Campus Detectives fanfic

By Apus

**_Chapter 2 – Green with Envy (Part A)_**

A quiet and cheerful Monday morning. The three Student Council members of Clamp Campus Middle School Division sat in the sofas inside the Council room, chatting together, savouring the taste of Akira's tea and cake. For once, the room was clear of Nokoru's paperwork. The morning sunlight shined through the opened windows and mingled with the colours of the room, displaying vibrant shades of gold around the boys.

For a while, they enjoyed the peace. Suddenly, there was a rampage coming down the corridor. It stopped in front of the Student Council room, and a knock was issued. With Suoh and Akira following close behind, Nokoru went to open the door. 

A group of bubbly kindergartners were waiting at their doors. Some of them blushed at the faces of the elementary students. Others simply gave polite little smiles. They all seemed to be very excited though. Each of them held novelties of all sorts: flowers, gifts, biscuits

"Ohaiyoo gozaimasu! Imonoyama-kaichou!" a kindergarten girl spoke up, "We are looking for Nijikawa-sempai. Do you know where she is?"

"I think she is rehearsing for her next major performance. Is she at the Drama Department?"

"We've tried the Language, Drama and Computing Departments, but we still can't find her."

"Oh I am very sorry then. I don't know where she is"

Many chubby faces fell at that remark. Nonetheless, their representative said, "Thank you very much for your time." Then the kindergartners filed down the corridor, and the boys closed the door behind them.

"Nijikawa-sempai is truly amazing," Akira commented, "She hasn't even been here for a month and yet she already has a fan club!"

"That's hardly amazing. You got yours within two weeks of attending Clamp Campus!" Suoh commented with a rare smile. Akira blushed as the three of them made their way back to the sofas again. 

"Still," Nokoru contemplated, "you have to applaud at her accomplishments so far. Not only has she earned herself several fan-clubs, she has also got the lead role in every single drama production since she came. Her enthusiasm in technology has contributed to many new inventions in the Computing Department. Plus, her language talent has charmed many of our overseas visitors and more students - " 

"Would someone please help me?" a deathly moan drifted through the windows, interrupting Nokoru. Akira was caught off guard and dove behind the sofas with a yelp. Suoh instantly glided in front of Nokoru, body in combat position, sharp knives held firmly in his hands. Nokoru's eyes grew sharp as he looked towards the opened windows, then widened in surprise. 

Well, it _was_ kind of a shock to find a bedraggled Shizumi clutching onto the branches of the tree just outside the council room windows. Her hair was sent wild in all directions and her entire body was wobbling. Her eyes were like those of Nokoru's whenever he was forced to do his paperwork. 

"May I come in?" came Shizumi's hoarse voice. Alarmed, Nokoru rushed to the windows to assist her, Suoh and Akira following close behind. The girl crumbled onto the floor when they finally managed to get her through the windows, and simply refused to budge from her spot when Nokoru tried to lead her to the sofas. Anyone would have pitied her if not for the idea that it was actually quite amusing to see the usually immaculate Shizumi in such a sorry state. Even Nokoru and Suoh's lips seemed to be twitching from the urge to laugh.

"Tea, Nijikawa-sempai?" Akira offered her a teacup. Shizumi snatched the cup from Akira and drank the contents down in one gulp, then held out the teacup again, indicating that she wanted more. From the sidelines, Nokoru and Suoh watched in silent amusement as the girl downed a few more cups. At last, from her spot on the floor, she looked up to the three boys and spoke.

"NOW I am starting to feel alive again," she breathed, "thank you for the tea."

"What happened?" Nokoru asked, even though he and the others already knew the answer - heavens know how often they had to do the same thing

"Running away from kindergartners the WHOLE MORNING!" Irritation edged the reply. "It's the usual story. You get out of the theatre after your practice and then you are instantly harassed by those brats!" Despite her exasperated tone, Shizumi's eyes wore a gentle shade of green. Clearly, she had not meant what she had just said. Because Utako and Nagisa frequently visited them with Shizumi, the boys had grown to know her better and had become good friends with the tall girl. They know that she loves each and every one of the little kids in the Kindergarten Division. As a matter of fact, she is very caring and protective of all students who are younger than her – the main reason for which her fan-clubs adore her. Like Nokoru to ladies, Shizumi wants all children to be happy and tries to satisfy all their desires, but she finds the fan-clubs' persistency very weary. 

Having regained her strength, she thanked the trio again and excused herself, saying that she had to get ready for her classes. The boys could only show her out the door and look at her retreating figure with pity.

~~~~~

AFTERNOON

Shizumi was thankful that the rest of the day had continued without further on-slaught from her fan-clubs. However, her happiness was short-lived. 

As she prepared to leave, she found a disturbing green memo in her shoe-locker. She read it again with a sharp glance, eyes briefly glistened with acknowledgement, before placing it into her schoolbag. 

Then, resuming her usual calming smile, she went about her after-school activities like everyone else.

~~~~~

6 DAYS LATER – SUNDAY MORNING

"Is something troubling you Nijikawa?"

"Why do you ask, Tsuya-sempai?" Shizumi addressed the speaker – president of the Drama Department, Tsuya Makiko.

"I have been watching you performing for the past few days. Your acting is still excellent, but it somehow lacked the spirit I had seen in you before." the elder girl replied. "Tomorrow is the big performance and it is my responsibility to make sure that all actors can perform to the best of their ability"

"I understand your concern, Tsuya-sempai. However, I cannot predict the future. Therefore, I cannot promise you that I will be performing at my best -"

"Not good enough."

"- but I will certainly try my best."

Makiko looked at the younger girl before her. "You don't want to talk about it?"

"Let's just say I am waiting for something to happen." Shizumi said with unintentional mysteriousness. "Besides, it is part of my principle. I don't want to trouble anyone with my own problems, unless it is something that I cannot handle alone. More importantly, I will not make a promise I cannot keep."

"Just as long as it doesn't affect you or the performance in anyway." Makiko warned. "However, like you said, just try your best for now. Make sure that your acting doesn't get any worse." 

Shizumi nodded and got changed into her costume when the president left. _Romeo and Juliet_ is not a play that any middle school student could fully understand, and Juliet is not an easy character for any middle school student to play. But since she had accepted the role, she will certainly give it her best shot. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, preparing to get herself into her character.

Meanwhile, sitting with other members of the Drama Department in the audience section, Makiko rang the bell. With that musical tinkle, the rehearsal began. The president paid close attention to Shizumi, watching her every move and gesture, noting her voice and tone. Other members made special note on Shizumi's performance too - some with silent awe, others with green jealousy, whilst still some others strive for improvement by learning from the girl. 

" O, Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou a Romeo?' " Shizumi's dreamy voice rippled through the theatre. It was the famous balcony scene. The backdrop and props had proved to be a challenge as Makiko had firmly suggested' rather dramatically that (quoting the almighty drama president) 'the scene _must_ be played from a high balcony... almost as tall as the ceiling'. So the stage crew went about and made a realistic backdrop that had a beautiful balcony jutting out above the man-made garden. Afraid of the drama president's wrath, they have efficiently followed her request word for word - i.e. the balcony really almost touch the high ceiling of the drama hall (Apus: *sweatdrop*). Being cast the role of Juliet, Shizumi had the privilege to toy with this little addition to the set. The young actress moved about the balcony, every gesture emphasising the romance and innocence within Juliet, every liquid movement graceful and elegant. Occasionally, there were some slight creaking that came from old wood of her little stage, but nobody noticed them, bound by the spell that Shizumi was weaving.

" be but sworn my love, And I will no longer be -' The rest of Juliet's verse was cut off by an uncanny rumble. Without further warning, the whole balcony came tumbling down onto the stage. A cloud of dust settled over the stage, vision obscured by the dirty mist for a moment. When the dust cleared, everyone stared, speechless, at the ruin that lay on stage. Slowly, reality kicked in and panic overtook the whole department. Screams and shouts echoed around the theatre.

"Oh my GOD!"

"Where is Nijikawa?!"

"The whole set is gone - "

"How are we going to build a new one - "

"Where will we get the funds - "

"What about the performance?!"

"The performance is due tomorrow!"

"Will everybody please SHUT UP and get me a LADDER - NOW!" an angry voice broke through the chaos. "Before I DROP!" Everyone turned and looked at the source of the voice.

Once again, Shizumi was found clinging for dear life – this time clutching the stage-lights pole dangling from the ceiling. When the balcony gave away, she had took the chance and made a jump for the pole, so she did not drop along with the whole set. All her grace and elegance from before were gone as she wore an irritated shade of red on her face. Makiko and the stage assistants quickly scrambled for the ladder in the backstage, whilst the remainders laughed heartily at the spectacle.

"This was definitely NOT the something I was waiting for." Shizumi thought as she suffered the humiliation, and prayed that the ladder would come quickly.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Free-talk:

(Is there anything to talk about? Nothing much has happened after all – except poor Shizumi dangling from the ceiling like an inexperienced gymnast!)

Okay, short chapter, but that is because there is more to come in the next episode, so please read on

That's all for now! Did you enjoy the story? C&C are appreciated, so please send them to apus000@yahoo.com.au 

Thanks ^^


	4. Chapter 3 Green with Envy Part B

**(Standard disclaimer applies.)** This fanfic is written purely for entertainment purposes only. No disrespect, etc. is intended, and no profit had been/ is being/ will ever be made. Don't hunt me, don't sue me, and don't hurt me in anyway And please kindly acknowledge that Shizumi is _my_ character, so don't use her without asking for my permission first! (XD) Also, I disclaim any ownership of the poem featured in this chapter – it is borrowed from R.L. Stine's _Superstition_.

This section (Green with Envy) is dedicated to my little sister, and Meryl Lynn Pestano - the first reader who actually sent me a comment on this story ^^ Words could not express how thankful I am for your encouragement and support! *big hug*

Author's memo: The Clamp Campus Detectives are in the junior high division (and Utako and Nagisa are in the elementary division) when the events in this story happened.

**Priceless Treasures**

A Clamp Campus Detectives fanfic

By Apus

**_Chapter 3 – Green with Envy (Part B)_**

"Alright, out with it, Shizumi-san. What have you been hiding for the past few days?" Utako questioned, hands crossed in front of her chest – the first sign of an on-coming tantrum.

Silence.

"Can't you tell us? We are your friends." Nagisa coaxed.

No answer.

"During our investigation, Tsuya-sempai had told me that you were waiting for something to happen'." Suoh said in his monotonic voice.

"Were you referring to this morning's incident?" Akira asked timidly.

An annoyed glare that clearly spelt No'.

Utako and Nagisa had immediately called upon the Clamp Campus Detectives when they heard what happened at the theatre, and forced Shizumi to come to this meeting at the Open Theatre Café. The six of them sat at a round table, trying to work out who the culprit was. However, they had no leads and Shizumi's silence was not helping at all.

"Can you show me all the threats that you have received since Monday?"

All faces turned to regard the speaker. Even Shizumi looked up from her teacup for a moment. 

"You were not yourself at all since Tuesday morning." Nokoru said, "But you were still alright when I saw you before the afternoon roll-call on Monday. Therefore, it would only be logical that the first threat came after school on Monday. But you ignored the first threat, and so the rest came in on a daily bases, thus explaining your unusual behaviour for the rest of the week."

As whenever she was interested, Shizumi set an elbow on the arm of her chair and leisurely placed a delicate hand under her chin. "Go on." she prompted.

"The threats must have involved yourself only, because if it involved anyone else, you would have stayed close to that person and try to protect them. But instead, you have been staying _away_ from everyone else for the past week. The incident this morning only goes to support my idea."

Shizumi's eyes danced with amusement as she nodded in agreement with Nokoru's deduction. For the first time since the 'accident', she opened her mouth. 

"Admirable detective work, Nokoru-san." she said, "But what if I say that I had been withdrawing myself simply because, for the past few days, I had been feeling nervous about starring in a Shakespearean play for the first time – playing the lead role, nonetheless? "

"That it is not a plausible conclusion, reason being everyone on the Campus knows that you are more professional than that. However, the most important reason is that it does not fit in with my first deduction, and I _know_ that my deductions are correct. You are only trying to divert our attention away from the threats."

"Aren't you being a little too confident about yourself, Nokoru-san?"

"Aren't you being a little too ignorant of our abilities, Shizumi-san?"

Shizumi answered Nokoru with a pair of defiant emerald eyes. Nokoru returned with a piercing sapphire glare. At the sight of those sharp eyes, Shizumi knew her cause was lost - but she gave it another go anyway. She pleaded:

"You know my principles, Nokoru-san. I don't ask anyone for help unless I cannot handle the matter. In this case, the matter is something I can handle, so please don't trouble yourself." 

The glare remain unwavered, if not more intense. She gave a defeated sigh and obediently pulled out an envelope from her school bag. 

"All of them, from Monday afternoon until this morning." she said, handing it over to Nokoru. The rest of the gang gathered around Nokoru, who had taken out the little green memos inside the envelope and began to piece them together on the coffee table. They formed a poem:

"Sneeze on Monday,

sneeze for danger.

Sneeze on Tuesday,

kiss a stranger.

Sneeze on Wednesday,

sneeze for a letter.

Sneeze on Thursday,

something better.

Sneeze on Friday,

sneeze for woe.

Sneeze on a Saturday,

a journey to go.

Sneeze on Sunday,

your safety seek,

for the devil will have you

the rest of the week."

Shizumi outlined the details. "Each of the verses came in correspondence to the days of the week. I received the first verse on Monday afternoon, and the last verse came in this morning. All of them were found inside my shoe-locker. As you might have guessed, the poem is a pretty old one regarding European superstition. Rather meaningless, if you ask me." 

"Nevertheless, quite effective as threats." Nokoru said as he studied the memos. "I trust that nothing dangerous had happened since the first threat?"

"No. Nothing dangerous had happened – except for this morning's accident."

Nokoru looked up from the memos, and stared at Shizumi's face. Shizumi looked back at him questioningly, but he was not fooled for a second. 

"You already know who the culprit is." His voice was understandingly quiet and gentle. "And you know the reason behind the threats too." He paused to contemplate. "You don't want to get her into trouble, so you want to stop our investigation."

Shizumi gave him a guilty smile. "I already told you, Nokoru-san. The matter is not something I need help with; I can handle it."

"But the matter is already out of your control. You may have blindly believed in her virtues."

Shizumi closed her eyes and leaned back into her chair. "She may not be a very nice person, but still..." She paused. "So you know who that person is too." 

"Well, the memos _are_ written in a lady's handwriting. Besides, she is the only one who has the most likely reason and opportunity to harm you." Nokoru said.

"Ah, yes. I had forgotten about that database in your head." She opened her eyes again, staring at the sky above. "Please don't let the reason be what I think it is," she said quietly to no one in particular. 

"I think it's time to find the culprit." Suoh broke in. He and the other three had been quietly listening to Nokoru and Shizumi's conversation, and they were all losing their patience. 

Nokoru obliged. "The Clamp Campus Detectives will go." He turned to the girls. "The culprit had gone as far as trying to hurt Shizumi-san, so I think it might be better for you ladies to stay here instead of coming along. Especially you, Shizumi-san, because you are her target." The girls were about to protest, but Nokoru shook his head firmly. "We don't know what she will do when she finds that her game is up."

"It's not like I would be safer here anyway." Shizumi challenged. "If she has set her mind to hurt me, she can do it anywhere. Even here, she could just throw a baseball at me." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"On the contrary, you will be a lot safer here, because this is a popular café and there will be more people, especially older students, who can help you should anything happen." Nokoru retorted. Shizumi gave him one last glare before turning her head, silently fuming, as though saying she has been defeated and will let the detectives help her. 

Nokoru looked at Shizumi. Something within him gave a jolt as he noted her unusual childish behaviour, and he could not resist the urge to reach out a hand and ruffle the girl's hair, then quickly made an exit with Suoh and Akira as she jumped up from her chair with rage (Nagisa and Utako trying in vain to calm her down). 

~~~~

"Here we are!" Nokoru announced cheerfully as the detectives stopped in front of the theatre of the Drama Department.

Akira slammed the base of his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Of course," he said in the manner of a child that had just discovered something new, "the culprit always returns to the scene of the crime!"

"True. However, in this case, the culprit had not left the scene of crime at all," Nokoru said off-handedly, "because she had to stay behind to do some fixing up." He paused, then added, "Even though she might be reluctant."

Fixing up? Suoh and Akira gave each other a blank look as the three of them entered the building. The moment they were in the theatre, ecstatic shouts and sighs can be heard echoing around the place. Usually, Nokoru would have at least stopped to have a little chat with his admirers, but with more important business on hand, he chose to ignore them with a polite smile and pushed through the crowd to reach the stage.

The detectives found the stage buzzing with activities as the stage crew tried to resurrect the ruined set for the balcony scene. Hammering, shouting, heavy footsteps Everyone was moving about busily. Nokoru scanned the crowd, and quickly found the person they were looking for. 

She was a tall woman, perhaps a university student, with a slim figure and a messy brown ponytail. Her face was filled with a mixture of frustration and concentration as she stood in front of the construction, shouting out directions, pointing at different bits of the set every now and then. Suoh and Akira stood at the side of the stage, while Nokoru made his way to the girl.

"Good afternoon, Kinogawa Fumie-san," Nokoru said as he approached the elder student.

The girl turned around and gave a yelp when she saw Nokoru, but she quickly recovered and said with a fake smile, "How may I help you?"

Nokoru got straight to the point. "I have some questions in regard to Nijikawa Shizumi-san and I require your assistant. Can you spare a moment?" He looked at her knowingly, and Fumie quickly caught onto his meaning. She gave him a curt nod, shouted a few more instructions to the slaving stage crew, then followed Nokoru to where Suoh and Akira were waiting. The younger boys looked at the new-comer, and shivered inwardly at the sight of her raging eyes.

Nokoru addressed the girl. "You are the one who had been sending threats to Shizumi-san for the past week, aren't you?" Fumie clenched her fists, but remained silent. "You are also the one who caused this morning's accident, correct?" The girl still remained silent.

Akira asked earnestly, "Nijikawa-sempai is a very nice person. Why do you hate her?"

"To the extent of ruining the drama production in order to harm her?" Suoh added.

At that moment, Fumie lost all her control. "What is she anyway?!" she shouted, her shrill broke through the heavy noise in the background. Everyone else in the theatre turned to look at what's going on at the side of the stage. "She shouldn't have appeared in this school at all!" Fumie continued, "My parents are members of the School Council here, I am suppose to be the star! But a meaningless little orphan just comes along and out-shines me! She reduced me to the insignificant stage crew! This sort of thing should not have happened at all!" She broke down in tears. 

Whispering began to go around as people heard the news: "Fumie-san was responsible for the accident"

"I think we can take over from here on," a firm voice cut in. It was Tsuya Makiko, president of the drama department, trying to take control of the situation and save her department from further embarrassment. She was addressing Nokoru. "On behalf of the drama department I thank you for solving this mystery and apologise for the inconvenience."

"It is our mission to help ladies in distress." Nokoru said with a bow.

"We will not trouble you any further," Makiko said, "The Drama Department and the University Division Student Council will follow on and come to a conclusion to settle the matter. Please send my regards to Nijikawa." She gave them a bow, and asked the vice-president to show the boys out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I am surprised, kaichou." Suoh commented as they walked back to meet the girls. A light breeze had stirred up, ruffling the detectives' coats.

"About what?" Nokoru asked.

"I had expected to see you comforting Otohoku-sempai like you did to all the other girls that had tried to harm you before, not letting her get punished."

Nokoru explained, "You have missed the important point, Suoh. The only reason I had forgiven the other ladies was because they knew that they had done something wrong and were sorry about it. However, Otohoku-san wasn't. You saw her Suoh. She did not regret what she had done for one single moment – she thought that she was right and Shizumi-san was wrong. If I had let her walk off without any punishment, the same thing will only repeat again." 

Suoh did not make any further comments after that, and the trio simply walked on. A few minutes later, the detectives were back at the Open Theatre Café.

"Well, did you find the culprit?" Utako demanded, as the three boys moved towards their coffee table.

Nokoru sat down and relayed the results to them. Occasionally, he would glance at Shizumi, who had eased back into her chair with closed eyes. It was as though she was trying to block out the reality but at the same time wanting to find out the truth. This made Nokoru worry, but he continued his report.

"How did you know that it was Otohoku-sempai?" Nagisa asked Nokoru.

"Well, the writing on the memo papers were a dead give away. However, the most important piece of information is that Otohoku-san was in charge of the stage crew. Only she has the power to design and direct the construction of the sets. This means that she also has the most likely opportunity to mal-construct the balcony set and send Shizumi-san to doom." He paused to take a seep from his tea, then continued. "Also, she is the one with the most plausible motive. If you study the credits section on the programs of our past school productions, you will see that before Shizumi-san came, Otohoku-san still starred in the productions, playing the lead role most of the time. However, since Shizumi-san came, she seemed to have faded into the background, playing the minor roles, until her name completely disappeared from the Cast list and began to appear in the Backstage list. Combining this fact with other bits and pieces, one can safely conclude that Otohoku-san has developed a strong jealousy against Shizumi-san. I suspect that her jealousy had finally grown out of control and she developed a lust for revenge" Nokoru trailed off. He was looking at Shizumi again. She still had not opened her eyes, and her mouth remained shut. The others had seen the problem, but conveniently chose to keep quiet. An uncomfortable silence followed, until Utako loudly declared that it was time for her and Nagisa to go home. Suoh and Akira quickly got the message and hastily said that they will walk them home. The four of them said goodbye and left the café together. 

Only Nokoru and Shizumi remained. The boy waited for the girl to speak, but she never opened her eyes, nor her mouth. There was nothing he could do whilst she remained reluctant to talk, so he ordered another pot of tea to help him past the wait. Halfway through his third cup, the girl finally spoke.

"Leave me alone." she said bluntly, eyes still closed.

"No one can be left alone – they will get lonely." Nokoru replied with a gentle smile.

"Funny that should come from you." Shizumi retorted, her voice again sarcastic. "Aren't you the one who always distance yourself from everyone else?"

"I am certain that you know the reasons." Nokoru said patiently. "But we are getting off the topic here."

Shizumi opened her eyes. Nokoru's heart gave a start when he saw the dull, green circles that looked at him. His pain grew even more as he assessed her face. Somehow, without the fire inside her emerald orbs, Shizumi looked fragile and wounded. 

She spoke again, her voice deprived of any emotions, "Isn't it funny how the world works? You may be jealous of a person but the joke is on you. You are probably being jealous of a person who is jealous of you..."

"I never thought you are an easily-jealous person. You seem to be quite satisfied with what you have now." Nokoru mused.

"I am sure that everyone has been jealous of someone at one stage or another – even you, Nokoru-san," Shizumi said, "Perhaps at some stage you had been jealous of children who have had the freedom of moving through life without a care in the world? Anyway, I have always been jealous of children who have their powerful parents by their sides" She paused, closing her eyes again, "to support them, guide them keep them safe..."

Nokoru took a seep from his tea. "Yes," he admitted, "at one stage, I had been jealous of others for their freedom. However, at the same time, I had learned to appreciate what I have already got, thus maintaining the balance in my mind." Then his voice dropped lower. "It was most unfortunate that Otohoku-san could not do so." 

Shizumi remained silent for a while. Then said quietly, "Logic tells me that Otohoku-sempai deserves whatever punishment she is going to get, but still I can't help feeling guilty" She tried to grope for the right words. "It is as though I had somehow unknowingly forced her into a dead end, and she had no choice but to hurt me in order to survive"

With that sentence, Nokoru saw the problem. He understood why Shizumi had hoped that the reason for Fumie's hatred would not be as she had thought: jealousy. If it had been some other reason, then Shizumi can rest with the knowledge that she was Fumie's victim. However, if the reason was because Fumie was jealous of her, then her knowledge will conflict with the idea that she is partly responsible for the whole incident; she will blame herself. Satisfied that the situation is now within his understanding, he calmly poured himself another cup of tea. He knew how to heal Shizumi. 

"Surely you do not think that it is right to harm anyone?" he asked with fake astonishment.

"Of course it is not right to harm anyone" Shizumi trailed off, and a little smile began to form on her lips. She got the point: No matter what the reason was, Fumie should not have harmed her in the first place.

"Besides, it is not _your_ fault that Otohoku-san couldn't control her jealousy," Nokoru added, "She should have learnt to find her balance long ago." He looked across the table, and was relieved to find that Shizumi had recovered from her reverie. The emerald sparks had returned to her eyes. She gave him a grateful smile, one which Nokoru returned with a charming smile of his own. 

In the distance, the clock tower sounded five. Nokoru paid the bill, then stood up and offered an arm to Shizumi. "Shall I walk you back?" he asked. 

A blush was evident on Shizumi's face, but she accepted the offer without second thought.

It feels nice to spoil yourself and accept other people's assistance once in a while.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Free-talk:

In my opinion, Nokoru can be so forgiving sometimes that it is enough to make the audience want to burn the VCDs or reap up the manga. Therefore, I have decided to write a section where Nokoru is, for once, stone-hearted' and sends a lady to doom.

I know that this section/chapter probably sounds rather confusing because there were too many ideas and thus the main point was not distinctive enough. However, the basic idea is about how to overcome our jealousy. Like Nokoru had said, we should learn to appreciate what we have got. If you can do this, then your jealousy level should be under control – you are still maintaining the balance; also learn to think that no one should have anything to be jealous about, because we all have something that other people don't have. 

And yes, I know that the ending sentence does not really fit in with the title, but it is to emphasise a minor point in the story: only ask for help when you need it. Trust me, it is a good and useful principle. Don't ask someone to help you unless you can't solve the problem on your own!

Finally, as to what happened to Otohoku Fumie and the drama production, I will leave that to your imagination ^^

That's all for now! Did you enjoy the story? C&C are appreciated, so please send them to apus000@yahoo.com.au 

Thanks ^^


	5. Chapter 4 Happy Times

**(Standard disclaimer applies.)** This fanfic is written purely for entertainment purposes only. No disrespect, etc. is intended, and no profit had been/ is being/ will ever be made. Don't hunt me, don't sue me, and don't hurt me in anyway And please kindly acknowledge that Shizumi is _my_ character, so don't use her without asking for my permission first! 

Author's memo: The Clamp Campus Detectives are in the middle school division (and Utako and Nagisa are in the elementary division) when the events in this story happened. And yes, Laughter is the best medicine'. I like starting my chapters with a few pages of fluff / laughter before getting serious – i.e. Warnings: stupidity, silliness and fluff abound! If you can't take it sorry, but you will just have to bear with me ^^;;

Dedication: originally for anyone who enjoys a good dose of laughter; Now for Jared, who complained in her review that Nokoru was so mean!' in the last chapter (hope you find this one better! ^^), and particularly Monica, the second person who bothered sending me an email It's the least I could do to show how grateful I am for their comments. (glares at those who just read and forget. humph.) A million thanks to Meryl too, who still continues to support me ^^

**Priceless Treasures**

A Clamp Campus Detectives fanfic

By Apus000

**_Chapter 4 – Happy Times_**

"It is time," the challenger spoke in a quiet, strong voice, his silver-grey eyes shone with determination.

On the other side of the battlefield, with his eyes calmly shut, his proud opponent responded, "Are you sure that this is what you want?" The voice held calculated strength.

"The battle must end." A statement. Neutral. Stating the obvious.

His opponent's eyes opened a little to peer at him. "What makes you think that you can defeat me?" he asked nonchalantly.

"It must end NOW!" came the repeat.

His opponent opened his eyes fully, revealing a pool of sapphire-blue, and regarded him with a smugly confident look. "As you wish."

The wind howled around them. The two stared fixedly at each other for a while, their eyes, granite gray locked with opulent blue. Then, with a cry from both sides, the battle began.

But it ended as abruptly as it had started. Within seconds, the challenger had already knocked out his opponent with a few shots. However, instead of jumping with joy for his victory, he looked alarmed

"Kaichou!!!" he cried out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Kaichou!!!"

At the cry, everyone who had been in the house rushed to the front garden. Suoh was in the lead, followed by Shizumi, then Utako and Nagisa. They found a teary puppy-eyed Akira crying over a motionless body in the snow. Upon closer inspection, the body was that of Nokoru's Alarmed, the four ran to Nokoru's side.

"Ijyuin! What happened to kaichou!" Suoh shouted as he and Shizumi searched for Nokoru's pulse and looked for any signs of injury. "What did you do to him!" 

"I am sorry Takamura-sempai!" Akira sobbed, "I must have hit kaichou too hard on the head"

"You WHAT?!" Suoh and Shizumi exclaimed in unison.

"You had hit him?!" 

"Whatever did you do that for?!" 

"Listen to me, Ijyuin! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

A faint moan cut short all the confusion.

"Kaichou!" Suoh shouted. He looked down, and shook Nokoru softly, trying to wake him. 

"I swear I am never going to have a snow-fight again" the kaichou mumbled. With some help from Shizumi, he sat up and shook his head, trying to clear away the stars.

At the sight of Nokoru's awakening, Akira cried out with joy, Kaichou! Thank goodness you are alright! I thought I had killed you!" (Skeptical looks from Utako and Suoh.)

Nokoru said with a faint smile, "Those were some excellent shots, Akira, but not enough to kill yet."

"I think some explanation is needed here, Nokoru-san," said an annoyed Utako. Others nodded in agreement. It seemed that their rushing-out had been pointless.

"Oh, it's nothing much, really," Nokoru said off-handedly, "As soon as we have unpacked, Akira and I came out to have a serious' snow-fight. Unfortunately, Akira had managed to dodge all my shots, while I coped with the heap that he had attacked me with. The last thing I remembered was being knocked out by one of his shots." 

"That was all?" Suoh asked.

"I told you it was nothing much."

Before Suoh could launch into another lecture about Nokoru and his stupid games, Akira interrupted, "Look! It's three o'clock already! I will go and prepare tea. Could all of you please wait for me in the drawing room?" Having said that, the now carefree treasurer went back into the mansion.

Nokoru flourished his fan and stood up, brushing snow off his pants. He turned around to face the annoyed foursome behind him and gave them a big, angelic smile. "Come on everyone! Don't look so grumpy! I invited you all to spend this holiday in Sweden so that we could have fun together, not to become my unhappy guests. And no, Suoh," he added, silencing Suoh with his fan, "Don't bother wasting your breath lecturing me today, because it wouldn't even reach my ears. Remember, a promise is a promise." The last sentence was said in a sing-song voice.

The girls giggled at that, while Suoh growled. _Mental note to myself: Never EVER again bribe Kaichou into doing his paperwork by promising to let him do whatever he wants afterwards._ the ninja thought.

Yes, the group of Clamp Campus students was currently spending their summer holiday in Sweden. The trip was a result of a compromise' between one work-frustrated Suoh and his less-than-willing-to-work kaichou:

"Look, I promise that you can do whatever you want," Suoh had said, "AFTER you have finished you work!" He indicated the paper mountains that would have caused some serious damage if touched. The girls, who were once again using the middle-school council room as their private tearoom, had wisely kept a great distance between them and the workload. They and Akira watched the usual drama between Suoh and Nokoru with interest. The only difference in plot was that this time, the secretary had actually resorted to bribery

Nokoru's cat ears immediately popped out and twitched when he heard those words. He turned to face Suoh with eyes curved in a mischievous grin. "A~nything?" he stretched out the word.

"Anything! Just get them done! They have to be handed in by TOMORROW, you know!" 

The girls concluded that the secretary must have been really desperate if he actually missed the catty look and promised Nokoru such a good chance for mischief-making. Meanwhile, Akira putted on his usual innocent but worried look. They were all convinced that the blue-haired secretary would regret his promise.

And as expected, he did.

Returning back to the present though

"Let's go inside," Shizumi said finally, "I still need to unpack anyway."

So Nokoru led everyone back into the house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time had past quickly. The afternoon came and went, and night soon fell on the quiet street where the Imonoyama's Sweden mansion was located. Since Akira had insisted on making dinner and Utako had insisted on helping him, everyone else left the love-birds to their own devices. Nokoru then somehow managed to badger the remaining three people into playing the Dance Machine located in the first floor entertainment room. Needless to say, Suoh and Nagisa were continually forced to dance together – that is, until Nokoru was caught filming them with a handy camera and Shizumi was identified as the Swedish voice-over that commented on the complicated dance movements' the camera had captured. That, of course, resulted in a merry chase around the mansion with Suoh hard at Nokoru's heels. (Shizumi remained in the room to calm an embarrassed Nagisa – whilst teasing her at the same time ^^) The chase ended when Nokoru retreated to his own bedroom and locked the double doors behind him.

"GIVE ME THE TAPE KAICHOU!" Suoh stormed and pounded on the bedroom door.

"But I haven't even made a copy for Shizumi-san yet," Nokoru responded mischievously through the doors. "She has done an excellent job with the Swedish commentating. Don't you think that she deserves a copy?"

"WHAT!?" Suoh exclaimed. 

"Just wait a second," Nokoru said. Suoh listened through the door. He heard a few twitches and a click, then the noises ended in a reverse pattern. A frown appeared on Suoh's face. What the heck was that about? Suddenly, the double doors opened again, and Suoh fell forward into the room.

Nokoru bent down and patted Suoh's head. He said, "Don't worry, everything's fine. The tape is now secured in my safe, so no-one could get to it except me."

"That is not comforting, kaichou." Suoh said flatly.

"But Suoh!" Nokoru summoned another angelic expression on his face, his voice a coaxing tone, "I am your best friend! Surely you can trust me.?" 

Suoh was about to make a reply, but was interrupted by the dinner bell.

Phew! Saved by the bell. Nokoru thought. Out loud, he said to Suoh, "I can assure you that everything is now safe in my hands. Come along now, and we shall have dinner."

What could he do? Suoh gave one last look at the safe that sat harmlessly next to Nokoru's bed. He wished wistfully that he had brought some ammunition along... But without further ado, he followed Nokoru down to the ground floor, where Utako had begun to set up the table in the dinning hall.

Dinner was a simple but delicious three-course meal. Caesar salad and rich tomato soup were served first, followed by eye-fillet in cranberry sauce, and ended with a scrumptious fruit-tart as dessert. A great deal of chatter, teasing and frolic were made throughout the whole course. The evening wore on merrily. After dinner, the girls decided to have a bath together and took advantage of the huge adjoined bathroom and sauna found on the second floor of the mansion. Meanwhile, the boys enjoyed tea in the ground-floor study, making plans on how to spend the next day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The snow glistened in the gentle sunlight when the gang arrived in Stockholm' s town square the next day. It was a lovely day for sightseeing. They walked about the marketplace for a while, taking photos and looking at the different stalls. It was during this time that Suoh's allergy to feathers was found, Nokoru's huge collection of credit cards was discovered, and Shizumi's supernatural ability in bargaining was encountered

After lunch, the gang agreed on free time'- a period in the day when everyone could do whatever they want. When the place and time at which they will rejoin each other was settled, the group scattered. Suoh and Akira joined their respective partners and went to look at the variety of novelties offered by other stalls. Shizumi, tired of shopping, consulted with a waitress and decided to take a walk around a nearby bay. Nokoru, ever the gentleman, accompanied her.

"Thank you very much for inviting me along to this trip, Nokoru-san," Shizumi said as they walked around the bay. The fresh wind that blew in from the sea was rather chilly, but their coats kept them safe from the cold. 

"The pleasure is all mine," the kaichou said with a smile, "Besides, the trip would not be as..." his smile grew wider, remembering last evening's round of _Teasing-Suoh_, "...entertaining, without you coming along to join in on the fun." 

_That's only a part of the truth, Nokoru-san, if not a sincere lie._ Shizumi knew. She was no fool. She understood that Nokoru had invited her to come along mainly because he didn't want her to spend a lonely holiday; he wanted her to enjoy herself. Holidays are suppose to be times when family and friends get together and have fun, be it a luxurious overseas holiday or a simple picnic the park. But for Shizumi, an orphan, these are times of loneliness: she had no one - save a few boarders - with whom she can enjoy the holidays. This holiday would have been the same lonely experience again if not for Nokoru's offer. For this, she was eternally thankful. 

However, despite all her gratitude for the kaichou, she commented, "You know, sometimes you are too kind for your own good. I would have thought that as the youngest son of the Imonoyama Saibetsu, you would be careful of strangers and put up your guard. You hardly know me, yet you allow me to come so close to you and some of the most important people in your life. Have you ever thought about whether or not I am trustworthy?" 

Nokoru just shrugged, his smile still pleasant as ever, and gave a similar answer to one he had uttered one long-ago Summer:

"I am just thoughtless."

_Try the trick on someone else, Nokoru-san._ Shizumi shook her head. "No diversions please, gentleman."

_Indeed, Shizumi-san, you are no fool._ Out loud, Nokoru tested, "But you already know the answer, don't you?"

She just gave him a look.

"Because I know that I can trust you," he told her simply, "Because 'some of the most important people' in my life trusts you too."

An indescribable warmth took over when she heard those words, but she said nothing. Both of them knew that it was not the full answer though; something much deeper had remained unsaid. 

But it would do for now.

They continued their walk in peaceful silence, completely content and at ease with each other's presence. The sentiment may have perhaps lasted longer if Nokoru had not suddenly looked up and spotted a middle-aged woman. The lady was leaning against the low stone wall that bordered the bay, staring sadly at the waters. From her pinned-up hair and respectable kimono-attire, one could harzard a guess on her nationality. Shizumi followed his gaze and saw her too. Boy and girl looked at each other and an agreement was formed. The two walked up to the lady quietly. It was Nokoru who spoke first.

"Lady, do you require assistance in any way?"

The woman jumped a bit and slightly turned her head. She saw the two teenagers regarding her with genuine concern. She cocked her head to one side and looked questioningly at them, her porcelain face innocent as a child's, her wide but wavering dark eyes seemed lost. Perhaps she is not Japanese after all?

"Madam, would you like some help?" Shizumi asked in Swedish. (Why not? They are in Sweden afterall.)

The woman continued to stare at them for some longer time, searching their faces, as though trying to find a way to express herself. Then, quietly, she said in Japanese:

"I am looking for a very precious thing... a priceless treasure which I had lost many years ago" Her voice was filled with unbearable sadness and painful regret. A burdened heart.

Nokoru prompted slowly, "It is something that money cannot replace?"

"Money?" the woman echoed, then scoffed with childish disdain, "Of course not, what's the use of money? People care too much about money. I am not talking about money." 

Child-like sentences. Although these words were conveyed with some degree of certainty, the manner in which the woman had said them was like a child's. Her voice sounded as if her mind was far away; dreamy and distant. Her face was slightly frowned, much like when a child was choosing what flavoured ice-cream she wants to have.

The heart knows something deeper, but the mind cannot quite grasp it.

All these did not escape the two teenagers. 

Shizumi was curious to know. She asked, "What are you looking for?" The words were carefully spoken, an indication that the usually confident girl was a little unsure of what to do.

"Many years ago, I met a young man"

"If it is a person you are looking for, I am sure that we can - "

"No, no, I am not looking for anyone at all." She gave a sigh. "I have been looking for happiness my whole life, but to no avail. And yet, I know that there is such thing, because when I was with that young man, I had felt happiness even if it was only the briefest of moments" She clutched at her own chest and bowed her head in sadness. After a long pause, she looked up again, her whole being suddenly tinged with desperation, and pleaded to the two teenagers:

"Please help me find happiness."

Shizumi was struck speechless. Even Nokoru seemed at lost. There, standing in front of them, was a lady who must have gone through the worst of life's challenges, but she has the mind of a child. 

So is it true, afterall, that adults are merely grown-up children?

An 'adult-child'?

The first thought that occured to them, rude as it may seem, was that this lady's sanity was questionable. They stared, dumbstruck, astonished, at the desperate look on the woman's face. 

Underneath the pleading, however, was what one might perceive as hope. 

Yes, beneath those desperate brown eyes was a child's utter trust and hope. The face spoke of immense innocence and genuineness. So full of faith and expectation. A child asking Santa Claus if she can have that one precious, priceless thing. The perfection in that naivete was breath-taking.

It is almost a sin that children can have something so perfect and beautiful.

It was too pure to destroy.

For perhaps the first time in their lives, Nokoru and Shizumi panicked. The two prides of Clamp Campus were unprepared, caught off guard. Never before had either of them encountered such a case. They frantically racked their brains for something appropriate to say, but to no avail.

"Ryoko!"

The sudden shout made the woman turn around. The teenagers peered past her and saw an Asian man - perhaps a Japanese merchant? - running up to them, worry written all over his face.

"There you are!" His voice was full of relief. As soon as he reached the woman, he took her hand and started to steer her away, whilst apologising at the same time, "I am sorry, my wife must have disturbed you." He turned back to the woman. "Come with me now, Ryoko," he said gently, "The doctor is waiting for you."

The couple was about to walk away, but Nokoru intercepted them. 

"Please wait sir," he said. 

The man turned around, and repeated apologetically, "I am sorry for the inconvenience."

"Please do not mention it," Nokoru said politely, but his voice held a strained and demanding tone, "However, you need to take great care of your lady's heart." He was about to say more, but Shizumi had cut in and summarised all he wanted to say in one simple sentence: "She needs you more than the doctor."

The man gave them a brief smile and led his wife away. The lady acted exactly like an obedient child and followed her husband. A good little girl that did not even forget to wave goodbye to the two teenagers.

The man's smile... Was it a smile of gratefulness? Understanding? Regret? Or annoyance? 

Or was it just one of those fake smiles used to get rid of unwanted attention?

One of the many mysteries of the human mind. One which Nokoru and Shizumi contemplated as they watch the couple disappear down a busy street. After that, they began to walk back the way they had came.

" _Non omnia possumus omnes_'," Shizumi quoted suddenly. She stopped walking and turned to regard her companion. 

Nokoru, who had been absorbed in his own thoughts, stopped in his tracks too, and stared at her questioningly. 

There was pain. They were well aware of it. 

His pain in not being able to help a distressed lady.

Her pain when looking into Nokoru's eyes and saw no twinkles.

Nevertheless, Shizumi gave a chuckle and explained, "It means We can't all do everything'." She looked at Nokoru meaningfully. "Our abilities are limited. We cannot retrieve happiness; nor can we buy back time that had past. As clever and wealthy as you may be, you are only a middle-school student," she stressed, "a human."

He remained silent. His demeanour though, was a different story. Perhaps even he was unaware it. "What's your point?" challenged his defiant stance.

Shizumi decided to ignore and continued, "Back there, you have already done all you can to help the lady. Shocked as you and I may have been, you must have acknowledged that she is unwilling to leave the past. She is clinging onto something which is already gone. Tell me, who can possibly help a person that continues to dwell in the past, unwilling to move on?" Turning to face the lapping waters, she gave a short pause, letting her words sink in. "Besides, that lady already has a husband. Yes, the gentleman probably does not yet understand her needs, but I'm sure that even you can tell he cares for her. He cares enough to go into the streets and look for her, take her to the doctor, and not let her condition get any worse. Isn't that enough?

"Tell me, Nokoru-san, what can you offer that the gentleman cannot? Do you have any proof that you can do better than what the gentleman is already doing?" Turning back to face Nokoru, Shizumi mentally winced at his glare. However, she did back away.

_No, wait, it is not really a glare... His eyes are not hard at all..._

It was more like... a look of conflicting emotions: anger, helplessness, surprise... warmth...?

And that may well be what Nokoru was feeling: anger and helplessness at his inability to help the desperate lady, surprise at Shizumi's straightforward manner... warmth at the thought that another person cares enough to challenge and correct him... 

He heaved a sigh. In the past, he had offered all sorts of assistance to ladies. It had seemed that no matter how complicated the problem might be, he can always work out a solution to sort out all their troubles. Never had he or anyone questioned his ability to help ladies in need. However, this case - 

He felt an unexpected touch on his left hand, and saw that Shizumi had both of hers wrapped around it. 

"Forgive me," she said apologetically, "but you must see it. You need to know that there are limits to everything."

Then she brought his hand to her face, such that it cupped her cheek, and said in a bearly audible voice:

"I trust you too, always, so please do not ever doubt yourself"

He stared at her, startled and speechless.

She held his stare, comforting and gentle.

If a photographer had been walking past, he would not have hesitated to take out his camera and capture the moment. It would have been a perfect image: two teenagers, a boy and a girl, gazing at each other, the girl holding onto the hand that held her face. A simple gesture - and therein lies the mystery, for simple and innocent though the gesture did seem, it felt as if there was something much deeper that was being conveyed. The air was thick with the spell woven between the two people.

The wind blew around them, ruffling their hair, pulling back their coats and scarfs, but they took no notice. It was as though time had chosen to stop for just a little while, giving them a special moment to hold each other's unwavering gaze; letting them communicate a flow of unspoken but meaningful words...

Then Nokoru gave her a smile - not one of those fake, charming smiles used for public display, but a unique and true smile - and said, "Thank you." 

Only then did Shizumi let go of his hand. And as though nothing had happened, she childishly skipped a few steps forward, before turning her head back and smiled at him mischievously, "The last one back to the meeting place has to cook dinner tonight!" Saying so, she ran ahead.

Merriment once again dancing in his eyes, Nokoru gave chase.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Free talk:

I have always wanted to write a fanfic where, for once, Nokoru comes across a case which he cannot solve. Well, here it is – with a little spice of my own ^^ I apologise if the little bit of light romance here was too much, but trust me, I have brutally rubbed out a whole chunk of it already so that people won't feel sick when reading it. I hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it

Also, I'm sorry that the paragraphs are so broken-up in this chapter. I hope it doesn't destroy the flow of the story It's the first time I try writing an emotional piece and I wasn't quite sure how I should emphasise certain descriptions, so I broke them into single-sentenced paragraphs' instead ^^;;; It wasn't too bad, was it? 

BTW, the quote said by Shizumi was from Virgil, _Eclogues_.

That's all for now! Did you enjoy the story? C&C are appreciated, so please send them to apus000@yahoo.com.au 

Thanks ^^


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